1st Gen or 2nd Gen best for wheeling

There is nothing better than locking the rear and cruising up a particularly tough section.

They all stand around and mutter, "Wow, how'd he do that!"

 

1st gen!!!!

 

That is more driver error than a Jeep issue.

The main reason I said what I said is because size and weight distribution. To answer the question the 1st generation should be much better than a second. Huge trucks aren't really all that great when it comes to real 4 wheelin. If you are just blasting through mud puddles then any truck is fine, but if you are in tight places, need to get turned around on some cliffside, having a small 4wd is better. The 1st gen is a good choice. Another reason I mentioned about a small jeep is when I had one and was on a very steep hill in the snow, myself and a CJ were the only vehicles that could handle it. A 4wd pickup couldn't stop due to its weight and ended up in a ditch. I think a 1 gen would have been fine.

 

If its any comparison my 95 4runner out wheels my 06 Tacoma. Maybe I'm just not afraid to do things in the 4runner and its an auto but it does climb and handle side slope great.

 

hate to bust your bubbles... 1st Gen.. definitely...

 

Dude, you had a CJ5. That's the shortest damn jeep out there with an 83" wheelbase. Why do you think they made the CJ7 with a 93" wheelbase? The CJ5 isn't sturdy no matter what you do with it.

 

Comparing stock trucks, 1st Gen obviously has an advantage simply because it's more narrow. And 1st Gen stock came with these things called real skid plates.

However, the 2nd Gen (2009+ years) added stock traction aids like A-TRAC and auto-LSD to control wheel slippage in 4HI and 4LO on all four wheels. So a stock 2nd Gen acts like it has lockers front and rear. Technically this would make the stock 2nd Gen 'better' in offroad situations.

My '97 4WD was wearing out, it had to be replaced. I wish the 2nd Gen was narrower but . . . .

Also, the new Jeep Wrangler is only 1" narrower than the 2nd Gen (73.7" vs. 74.6" for the 2nd Gen), so it's not getting through places a Gen I can.

 

I miss my 2nd gen greatly and prefer it. But my first gen will go places the 2nd cant sadly =(

 

PRECISELY why I chucked my second gen to the curb!